TOEFL iBT Overview

The term TOEFL is an acronym, which means that each letter stands for something. In this case, TOEFL stands for Test of English as a Foreign Language. It is created by an organization called ETS (Educational Testing Service), a professional test development organization, based in the USA.

The TOEFL is an English proficiency test for non-native speakers of English. It measures a person's ability to read, write, speak, and understand English used in college or university. This means it concentrates on the formal academic English used in lectures as well as the informal English used in normal campus life by students, professors, and other college or university employees.

Most people take the TOEFL to get admission into colleges and universities where English is used or required. Some people take the TOEFL to fulfill the requirements of a government department, licensing board, certification agency, or scholarship program. In fact, today more than 6000 colleges, universities, and licensing agencies in 110 countries accept TOEFL scores.

Some career-minded students take the exam to improve their professional prospects by demonstrating their English language proficiency to future employers in their home countries.

Although the TOEFL may seem like a difficult exam, preparing for it actually helps you to improve your English in very powerful ways. That's because studying at an English university is challenging – you have to do lots of reading, complete many written assignments, papers, and projects, and also deliver oral presentations. So all of the skills tested on the TOEFL iBT are real skills which you will need.

If you keep that perspective in mind, it will help you feel more positive about the whole experience and appreciate that these very skills will be essential for you in university and later, on the job.